God Will Work Wonders

Jesus brings his Sermon on the Mount to a close by teaching:

'It is not those who say to me, "Lord, Lord", who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Jesus concludes his teaching by explaining the true nature of faith. Faith means to not only believe that Jesus is God but also to do what he teaches. Faith is not real, it is not solid until we live it.

James 2:19 You believe in the one God - that is good, but the demons have the same belief, and they are in hell.

When someone claims to be a Christian, to believe in Jesus, but not live what Jesus teaches, they are living in denial. Many Christians are in denial. For my faith to be alive then I need to do what Jesus taught, like developing a real friendship with him in prayer, admitting my sin and seeking forgiveness, changing the way I live, forgiving my enemies, and living the Golden Rule by doing to others what I want them to do to me, and accepting the will of God in all things.

If we accept what Jesus said, but don’t actively incorporate it into everything we do – well, that is a sign we live in denial, that our faith is dead.

So do we want a dead faith or a living faith?

Faith only lives insofar as it changes our life.